Your mobile users tap that three-line icon dozens of times daily without thinking twice about it. But behind every smooth hamburger menu animation lies carefully crafted CSS that can make or break the user experience on your site.
The hamburger menu has become the universal symbol for mobile navigation. Yet most developers struggle with creating smooth, accessible implementations that work across all devices and browsers.
This guide showcases examples of CSS hamburger menus that combine visual appeal with functional excellence. You’ll discover responsive menu toggle techniques, animated transitions, and accessibility features that transform basic three-line icons into engaging interactive elements.
From simple CSS-only solutions to advanced animated hamburger icons with transform effects, these examples will help you build navigation that users actually enjoy using. We’ll cover everything from basic collapsible navigation bars to sophisticated sidebar menus with smooth animation keyframes.
Hamburger menu animation with velocity.js
Author: Filippo
This hamburger menu icon uses HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It has an animated effect to swing the three lines into an X and back to three lines.
Created using velocity.js, the animation is smooth and clean.
Button #3
Author: Amli
Amli also created an HTML, CSS, and JavaScript menu button. It has two lines, instead of three, that disappear and an X appears.
Hamburger Menu Animations
Author: Tamino Martinius
The code pen here offers four different hamburger menu animations.
Two turn the button into an X. The other two turn them into arrows.
Open Close
Author: Vineeth.TR
This author provides two animated hamburger menu options that are pure CSS.
Hamburger Icon
Author: Pranjal Saxena
This code pen offers a responsive hamburger icon and a menu that has an animated bounce.
CSS hamburger menus
Author: rosalieelphick
Here are four pure HTML and CSS menus that twist, turn, and switch.
Flippin’ burgers
Author: Mikael Ainalem
These hamburger menu options look like someone flipping burgers on a grill.
Menu “Hamburger” Icon Animations
Author: Jesse Couch
Jesse Couch offers four hamburger menu icons with this code pen.
Hamburger Menu (CSS only)
Author: Youri Pailloux
This hamburger menu elongates into a header bar menu. It has a background color of half white and half blue.
Jumping Hamburger Menu Icon
Author: Jack Thomson
Jack Thomson adds a little extra flair to this hamburger button. It jumps into the air and falls into an X position.
CSS Challenge – Day 2
Author: Elitsa Dimitrova
Using JS, HTML and CSS this button has a fun animation and a nice background color.
Click highlighter on menu button using :after
Author: Rhys Matthew P
Here is a simple hamburger menu button. It uses :after pseudo-element that creates a highlighter effect.
Another Hamburger Menu | CSS
Author: Joshua Ward
For those looking for a simple and dignified hamburger button icon, this is perfect.
Pure CSS off-canvas menu with flexbox
Author: Zoe Gillenwater
This code pen offers a hamburger icon button with a menu. It uses flexbox to resize the content so the menu box does not obstruct the view of the content page.
Hamburger animation
Author: Aaron Iker
Aaron Iker puts a whole new spin on the hamburger menu button. The three-line icon rotates creating a circle that contains an X.
Single Element Animated Hamburger Menu CSS Only
Author: Josh Fabean
Here is another simple hamburger menu icon option.
Pure CSS Fullscreen Navigation Menu
Author: Brendan Palmer
This is a pure CSS spinning hamburger menu icon with a menu that fills the whole page.
Hamburger Menu Button Interaction
Author: Himalaya Singh
When users interact with this button, the word “menu” springs from the traditional hamburger icon.
The Hamburger Menu
Author: Matthew Blode
This code pen includes thirteen hamburger menus, all with a different twist.
Animated Hamburger menu – CSS Only
Author: Leif Riksheim
This pure CSS code pen puts the hamburger menu icon in the right upper corner with a sliding menu sidebar.
Minimal animated pure css menu icon
Author: Yacine
Here is a hamburger menu with a mini animation. It is HTML and CSS code but can be used with JavaScript.
Menu button and horizontal ellipsis transformation animation
Author: Himalaya Singh
This code pen turns the three lines of the hamburger menu icon into three dots.
CSS3 animated & responsive dropdown menu
Author: Catalin Rosu
Catalin Rosu presents a responsive drop-down menu with this code pen.
CSS Gooey Menu (Version 4)
Author: Lucas Bebber
This code pen displays a circular hamburger menu icon. With a click, it expands into several circles with menu options.
Hamburger Menu – CSS and jQuery
Author: rv7
The hamburger button presented here includes a popup menu. It sits in the left upper corner of a website.
Star Wars Toggle Icon Animation
Author: Rıza Selçuk Saydam
Here is a Star Wars-inspired hamburger button that consists of lightsabers.
hamburger menu css animation
Author: jun xu
This is a traditional hamburger menu button with a circle border and a bright red X. It uses HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to make it work smoothly.
Hamburger Animated Icon
Author: Steven Fabre
Here is another simple hamburger menu icon with an animation that switches it from three lines to an X.
Frosty Nav Toggle Effect
Author: Graham Wilsdon
The frosty nav hamburger icon presented here was specifically created for mobile devices. When users click on the icon, the menu frosts over the page.
Hamburger animation & Triple background color using CSS
Author: Himalaya Singh
When users click on this hamburger button, it turns into an X. It also changes the background color of the whole interface.
Menu toggle svg animation
Author: Tamino Martinius
Using HTML, CSS, and JS this SVG animated hamburger button is quite amusing.
Hamburger Menu Css Animated
Author: Evren
While other hamburger button styles only have the animation on click, this one has it on hover.
Drawn Hamburger Transition
Author: Jesse Couch
With a slow and smooth transition and elegant colors, this hamburger menu is best for classy websites.
PURE CSS SIDEBAR TOGGLE MENU
Author: Jelena Jovanovic
Here is a pure CSS hamburger menu icon with a left-side sliding off-canvas menu. This design allows developers to add sub-menu content.
Material Design Menu
Author: Arjan Jassal
The traditional three-line menu icon bathes in a white background. The design displays it at the bottom right corner of a website header.
Hamburger
Author: Mikael Ainalem
With no JavaScript, this is a pure HTML and CSS hamburger menu button that rotates.
Atomic Hamburger Menu CSS
Author: Alex Coven
This atomic hamburger button has two animations.
On hover, the three lines turn into an atomic particle. If the user clicks and holds, it turns into an X.
Creative Hamburger Menu
Author: Ahmed Hamed
On the right-hand corner sits the hamburger menu icon. When a user clicks on it, the background color of the page bursts into black.
Hamburger Menu Icon Transition using css | Transforming hamburger menu
Author: Bilal.Rizwaan
This hamburger button uses CSS to transform from three lines into an X on hover.
hamburger (version 1)
Author: Tamino Martinus
This is another hamburger button that twists into an X on hover.
SVG Gooey Hover Menu Concept
Author: Michael Leonard
It looks simple but this design uses many layers of animations and transitions. It uses HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for smooth running.
The hamburger menu icon displays in the left corner of the screen. On hover, a menu slides into view.
Fullscreen Navigation
Author: Marcus Bizal
Using overlay effects, this hamburger button transforms the whole interface into a colorful menu.
The ultimate hamburger menu
Author: Charles
This is the ultimate hamburger menu button. Instead of using lines that imitate a hamburger, it is an actual image of a hamburger.
On click, it turns into french fries.
Hamburger Menu
Author: Mikael Ainalem
This is a simple hamburger button with pure CSS.
Morphing Hamburger Menu with CSS
Author: Imgonzalves
Here is a classic hamburger menu button that looks great on mobile devices. It has smooth transitions, soft color tones, and SVG icons.
When clicked on, the button turns into the exit button as it also reveals the menu.
CSS Animated Hamburger Icon
Author: Elijah Manor
Elijah Manor presents a simple and classic black and white hamburger menu button. It uses HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Hamburger icon with Morphing Menu
Author: Sergio Andrade
This code pen contains a hamburger menu icon on the right upper corner of the screen. When a user clicks on it, it morphs into a bubble menu.
Menu test – css only – effects
Author: Sil van Diepen
Here are four pure CSS menu buttons with different animations.
CSS Animated Hamburger Icon
Author: Bryan
For a small twist on the classic hamburger icon. This features an image of a real hamburger coming together ingredient by ingredient.
Hamburger Menu (with cheese)
Author: Michael Smart
If you agree with Michael Smart and do not think that three lines accurately represent a hamburger, use this menu button instead.
SVG Interaction (Menu to Left Arrow)
Author: Vikram
Using CSS and SVG animation, these menu buttons react differently to interaction.
Hamburger Icon Animations
Author: Rosa
If you have not seen enough variety yet, check out these twelve CSS hamburger menu animations.
FAQs about hamburger menus
How do I create a CSS-only hamburger menu animation?
Use CSS transforms and transitions on three span elements. Apply rotate() and translate() properties with the :checked pseudo-selector on a hidden checkbox to trigger state changes. Add smooth transition effects for professional animated menu icons.
What’s the best HTML structure for responsive hamburger menus?
Wrap a checkbox input and label containing three spans inside a navigation container. This semantic HTML structure supports keyboard navigation and screen readers while maintaining clean, accessible markup for mobile navigation patterns.
How do I make hamburger menus accessible?
Include ARIA labels, proper focus states, and keyboard support. Add role="button" and aria-expanded attributes to the toggle element. Ensure sufficient color contrast and touch-friendly sizing for touch gesture support.
Which CSS properties create smooth hamburger icon transitions?
Use transform, opacity, and transition properties on the hamburger lines. Apply rotate(), translateY(), and scale() transforms with CSS animation keyframes for professional cross-platform compatibility and smooth user interfaces.
How do I prevent hamburger menu layout shifts?
Set fixed dimensions on the hamburger container and use transform instead of changing width or height. This prevents content reflow during mobile menu toggle animations and maintains stable layouts.
What are common hamburger menu animation patterns?
Popular patterns include cross transformation, slide effects, and elastic animations. The cross pattern rotates outer lines while fading the middle line. Animated menu transitions can use bounce, ease-in-out, or custom cubic-bezier timing functions.
How do I style hamburger menus for different screen sizes?
Use media queries to adjust hamburger menu visibility and styling. Hide the toggle on desktop screens and show full navigation. Apply responsive web design principles with appropriate breakpoints for mobile-first approaches.
What JavaScript libraries work best with CSS hamburger menus?
Pure CSS solutions often perform better than JavaScript alternatives. However, libraries like GSAP or CSS animation libraries can add advanced effects. Consider performance optimization when choosing between CSS-only and JavaScript-enhanced implementations.
How do I customize hamburger menu colors and sizes?
Use CSS custom properties for easy theming. Set line height, width, and spacing variables. Apply consistent button colors and hover states that match your overall design system and brand guidelines.
What are best practices for hamburger menu performance?
Minimize DOM manipulation and use CSS transforms instead of layout-triggering properties. Enable hardware acceleration with will-change property. Follow progressive enhancement principles and test across different browsers for optimal mobile user experience.
Conclusion
These CSS hamburger menus demonstrate that effective mobile navigation doesn’t require complex JavaScript frameworks or heavy libraries. Pure CSS solutions deliver smooth performance while maintaining cross-browser compatibility.
The best implementations combine visual appeal with functional accessibility. Animated navbar designs that include proper ARIA labels and keyboard support create inclusive experiences for all users.
Performance matters more than flashy effects. Simple transform animations outperform complex JavaScript alternatives, especially on mobile devices with limited processing power.
Your choice depends on project requirements and target audience. CSS-only solutions work perfectly for most websites, while JavaScript-enhanced versions offer advanced microinteractions for premium user interfaces.
Test thoroughly across different devices and browsers. What looks smooth on desktop Chrome might stutter on older mobile browsers, so progressive enhancement remains crucial.
Remember that hamburger menus serve users, not designers. The most successful implementations prioritize usability over visual complexity, creating converting website experiences that actually help people navigate your content efficiently.
If you liked this article about CSS hamburger menus, you should check out this article about CSS animations on scroll.
There are also similar articles discussing CSS page transitions, CSS modals, CSS tooltips, and slide menus.
And let’s not forget about articles on CSS link hover effects, CSS range sliders, JavaScript menus, and CSS toggle switches.
